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Author Biography

Sonya Annita Song is a poet whose rhymes are loved by both adults and children. Her goal as a children's author is to create fun and engaging rhyming picture books that children and parents will love reading together.

Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

My Teacher Dad is a children’s picture book written by Sonya Annita Song and illustrated by Kate Fallahee. What’s a kid to do when his teacher, who also happens to be his dad, doesn’t want to wake up and get ready for school? The hero of this laugh-out-loud story happens to have just such a dad, one who’d rather stay in bed and hug his bear than go to school. Dad tries all manner of tactics to get out of going to school, from stomach aches to choking, but only his son’s threats to get Mom involved manages to get Dad up and out of bed. But will he actually make it to school?

Sonya Annita Song’s children’s picture book, My Teacher Dad, is one of those books that will resonate with anyone who’s ever dreaded getting up and going to school. This book, of course, has the delightful twist that the enraged parental figure is now the Teacher Dad’s son. Song narrates her story in wacky and wonderful rhymes that will keep kids giggling and help new readers sound out new words. Kate Fallahee’s illustrations had me closely examining each panel with surprise and delight as I discovered a multitude of peculiar and very funny things lurking in every corner and under every bed. The picture of the kids in class watching transfixed as the clock on the wall ticks past nine o’clock had me instantly reliving those heady moments when it just may have been possible that the teacher was not only late, but not coming in to class at all. This is one of those books that will be as much fun for the moms, dads and caregivers reading it aloud as it is for their young listeners. ““GET UP!” I roared. I know you’re fine!” Who hasn’t heard those words in that tone before? Reading My Teacher Dad made my day. It is most highly recommended.

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Emily-Jane Hills Orford

Have you ever buried your head under the pillow and resisted the need to get up in the morning? Have you ever wanted to skip school or work? What would you do if your dad was your teacher? And he didn’t want to get up, go to school and teach? All he wanted to do was stay in bed, read his comics, or disappear at school on his roller skates. Even the threat of telling your mom does little other than to get Dad out of bed on a school morning. And, it’s left up to you to explain to your class why the teacher, your dad, is missing instead of doing his teaching job in the classroom. This is a reversal story, cleverly twisting around what usually happens: child refuses to get out of bed, fakes being sick to avoid going to school, argues that he/she wants to stay home and play, finds other things he/she would rather do – you know the routine. Only this time, it’s the dad, the teacher, who decides to skip school and do what he wants to do.

Sonya Annita Song’s picture book story, My Teacher Dad, is a fun way to introduce the importance of responsibilities and following daily routines, like getting up and going to school. Told in rhyming verse and with colorful illustrations, this story would appeal to the young reader and might even encourage the reluctant morning child to realize that everyone has to get up and face the day. Told with humor, this story makes the child the one who shows responsibility, the child who must get his father, the teacher, to school on time – especially before Mom finds out. I loved it. A great read.

Louanne Piccolo

What’s a young boy to do when his father refuses to go to school – even though he’s the teacher? My Teacher Dad by Sonya Annita Song is a short children’s picture book with an amusing spin to it – a son who is responsible for his badly-behaving father. My Teacher Dad is intended for children from ages 4 to 8 but adults will also get a kick out of the mischievous dad and his parenting child. A young boy tells the story in rhyming prose of the extremes his dad goes to so that he doesn’t have to work. In the space of 32 pages, the dad tries to shirk his responsibilities by pretending to be ill, by going skating and by rolling around in the grass… It's guaranteed to leave you chuckling long after you've finished the book.

Fans of comic illustrations will love the zany depictions of the leggy dad and his detailed facial expressions ranging from inconsolable sadness to delightful wickedness. Sonya Annita Song has written a fast-paced, quirky children’s picture book with spirited and likeable characters that every child can identify with. I particularly enjoyed the cleverly rhyming text and found My Teacher Dad light and amusing. Without wanting to give too much of the story away, I must say that I’d love to find out what the rest of the week’s protocol for capturing Dad and making sure he gets to work in a timely fashion could be. Perhaps there’s an equally funny sequel that will take readers past Tuesday Protocol?

Marta Tandori

Wackiness abounds when a boy’s dad, who’s a teacher, doesn’t want to go to school in My Teacher Dad, a hilarious picture book written by Sonya Annita Song and illustrated by Kate Fallahee. Tummy aches and wanting to stay home from school to read comic books are ploys typically used by children when they’d rather stay home than go to school but it’s quite another matter when it’s your dad who doesn’t want to go to school and he happens to also be your teacher!

My Teacher Dad puts a unique twist on the daunting task faced by some parents as they struggle to get their reluctant children out of bed and off to school each morning by making the child the responsible hero in this tale, and the child’s dad, who also happens to be his teacher, the irresponsible, immature kid that requires an entire class being called to arms to curb his wayward tendencies for play. Song takes the age-old threat of “Wait till your father gets home!” and gives it a more modern spin as the child threatens to tell his mother that his dad refuses to get out of bed. Song employs a simple narrative, told in rhyme, that’s relatively straightforward and easy for a younger child to follow. Fallahee’s illustrations really stand out and tell their own tale. Colorful and crazy energetic, each illustration leaps off the page, demanding attention through detail and expression, both of which are expertly conveyed. A nice twist to an age-old problem, My Teacher Dad promises to have parents and children alike in stitches as they read about one child’s efforts to reform his teacher dad.

K.C. Finn

My Teacher Dad is a work of fiction for children, written in a picture book format by author Sonya Annita Song, with illustrations by Kate Fallahee. Centered on the concept of school and whether kids like going or not, this book is penned in rhyming verses of the ABCB style, and was written for children aged 4 to 8 in their key primary school years. The story describes one little boy as he tries in vain to get his dad – who is the teacher – to attend school, whilst the dad makes a lot of very familiar excuses. The story extends to wilder and wider themes before reaching its happy conclusion.

I enjoyed this book very much, and I’m certain that the young children of my friends and family would too. The central characters are very proactive, expressive and relatable, offering many laughs as they role swap and attempt to mimic the other with great comedic effect. The illustrations by Kate Fallahee were vivid, delightful, and as expressive as the characters themselves, bringing the tale to life beautifully. What I particularly enjoyed about author Sonya Annita Song’s work was her ear for rhythm in the rhyming verses, because often children’s books lose their rhythm and become hard to read. In this case, every verse rolls perfectly with melody and the rhyme is never forced but is natural and wonderful to hear. Overall, My Teacher Dad is a delightful picture book that could be picked up at any time of the day or night for young readers to bond over, share and laugh.